This past Saturday marked World AIDS Day under the theme ‘Know Your Status’. First officially observed in 1988, this year’s World AIDS Day marked the 30th anniversary of the global campaign, and is an important annual reminder that HIV and AIDS continue to affect communities across the world. According to the latest data from the Joint UN Agency on AIDS (UNAIDS), 36.9 million people globally are living with HIV. An estimated 66% of them are in Sub-Saharan Africa, which has made significant progress in reducing new infections over the past seven years.
The Africa Portal has published a range of research on HIV and AIDS from across the continent, produced by our content partners. Below is a selection of publications from our archives.
Macroeconomic Policy Impacts on the fight against HIV/AIDS in Ghana (Afrodad, 2015)
This study attempts to provide fundamental evidence of macroeconomic policy constraints to HIV/AID spending in Ghana by examining the roles of International Financial Institutions (IFIs), donor agencies, local policy makers and the citizenry. The study features a description of the Ghana’s government’s financing strategy and an assessment of the finance gaps. There is then an examination of the macroeconomic implications of increased fiscal spending in this regard as well as an assessment as to whether fiscal space has been constricted by financing partners, namely international financial institutions.
Landscape Analysis of MNCH, FP and HIV/AIDS Integration in Eastern and Southern Africa (AFIDEP, 2014)
The purpose of this study was to provide an understanding of the landscape of MNCH (maternal, newborn and child health), FP (family planning) and HIV/AIDS burden, service delivery gaps, and integration efforts to inform potential engagement and investments on integration grounded on the MNCH platform by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other donors. The study combined both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including document review, collation and analysis of quantitative data, policy audits, key informant interviews and validation meetings. The quantitative data analysis informed the selection of four countries with different permutations of disease burden and service deficiency for rapid national level assessment of the status of and opportunities for MNCH, FP and HIV/AIDS integration. The four countries are the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia.
Rapid Assessment of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, Family Planning and HIV/ AIDS Integration in Malawi (2014, AFIDEP)
The high burden of disease and death relating to HIV/AIDS, unintended pregnancies and poor maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) remains a major health challenge in Malawi, as is the case in most of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Malawi is a country with strong political will and a learning and cooperative culture for working with development partners and adopting proven lessons for improving health services. Despite commendable efforts in improving delivery in the three areas, the burden of disease remains very high, pointing to the need to step up outreach and quality of care.
HIV/AIDS Prevention Interventions in Uganda: A Policy Simulation (EPRC, 2013)
Previously, HIV/AIDS control programmes in Uganda have relied on the ABC strategy (Abstinence, Being Faithfull and Condon use). However, as the epidemic matured in Uganda, public health authorities have adopted additional programmes to combat the spread of HIV such as male circumcision and counselling as well as testing. This policy simulation estimates the potential costs and impact of rolling out two HIV prevention methods – Safe Male Circumcision and Voluntary Counseling and Testing- on the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Results from the policy simulation suggest that scalingup safe male circumcision to reach 66% of the circumcised males aged 15-49 years would result in averting almost 121,278 new HIV infections through 2020, resulting in an average cost per HIV infection averted of $885 and net cost savings per infection averted of US$ 6,515.
The Effect of Livelihoods Programs on Care Giving Roles in Households affected by HIV and AIDS (ACORD, 2013)
Some of the recommendations in this report are as follows: there is a need to increase the focus on advocacy for governments to ensure that all communities access their rights and entitlements for HIV prevention and AIDS treatment and care services as a human right. There is a need for a thorough analysis of national policies on the extent to which they tackle the right to health as a human entitlement for all irrespective of status. The enforcement of government regulations on private health providers to reduce on the burden of health access for hard to reach populations was emphasized. The need to strengthen the multi sectoral approach as the best way of addressing livelihoods for women; government ministries to operationalise their HIV and AIDS desks and provide budget allocations for training and capacity building for non-health sector public workers on how to mainstream HIV and gender in their work.
For more resources on HIV and Aids, search our research library.
